REUNION LONGEVITY

FROM WHERE I SIT  Reunion Longevity   AUG. 26, 2013  PAT SPILSETH

There used to be a section of weekly local newspapers which recounted the social events of families in the community during the past week.  Usually a woman was employed by the paper who would call various residents in the area and inquire about who had visited whom during the week; who poured coffee at the wedding reception and who came from out of town to visit.  I think Florence Avery was the social columnist at the Pope County Tribune back in the 1950 and 60’s.

It was back to memory-filled Lake Wobegon days this past weekend for Dave and me.  We drove out to Luther Crest Bible Camp in Alexandria, MN, to join Lovstad family relatives.  Cousins came from Missouri,  Washington, Iowa and Illinois to share stories and, of course, to eat together as all good Scandinavians must do when they gather.  Though there weren’t any Swedish meatballs, the camp staff served browned meatballs, mashed potatoes and thick brown gravy along with the expected dessert at each meal.  Something sweet is always a requisite with endless cups of weak Lutheran coffee.  However, due to the current passion for strong cups of Caribou coffee, our tastes have changed: this reunion, we doubled the strength of the coffee.

“Come Lord Jesus” was the prayer we recited before each meal, the same prayer we learned as little children whenever we gathered around the kitchen table to eat.  I wonder how many of us still say that childhood prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep”, before crawling into bed?

The older generation was not able to attend.  This past year we lost three family members: Marvin Lovstad, his wife Betty, and Agnes Spilseth.  Longevity is definitely in the Lovstad family.  Aunt Florence is mentally sharp and lovely at 100, still living in her home with help from her three children who live nearby.  In their late nineties, Aunt Pearl and Aunt Jane live in assisted living homes, with family members living close by.  

The next generation is in charge of current reunions, children of their parents from the “Greatest Generation” who went through the Depression and survived, stronger than ever.  No longer is coffee the main beverage at our gatherings.  Wine has been added...amazing, since our parents were usually teetolers.  However, one of the grandchildren is now employed as a wine vendor in Fargo.  Jamie had a wine tasting for us where she explained what food to serve with which wine and informed us that rose’ is the new favorite. No longer sweet, it’s drier to fit the palates of this generation.  

Though temperatures were in the nineties, the sumac was already turning red and burgandy and gold leaves were falling.  It was time to return to our annual tradition of lefse making.  Cousin LaVonne had followed her mother Pearl’s recipe.  She boiled and beat white Idaho potatoes with plenty of butter and refrigerated the dough.  Adding flour, we mixed and rolled the golf ball sized dough on the lefse cloth into doily shaped circles and fried them on lefse grills. Pearl’s recipe didn’t stick to the cloth or the grill.  The lefse was so thin and light; it wasn’t the least bit dry.  Could the difference have been in the amount of butter or was it those Idaho potatoes, which weren’t so wet?  We had a routine: some rolled; some fried, and others lifted the slightly browned lefse with the rosemaled lefse stick.  Melted butter was spread on the lefse with a paint brush utensil and plenty of white sugar was sprinkled on the fried dough.  We devoured the lefse, the perfect Scandinavian treat, usually eaten at holiday times.

Who would have thought that campfires would still be a hit for us post middle-agers.  The fire kept away the mosquitos as we gathered by the lake under the glowing moon.   Reunion leaders Barb, Bud, Doug and Milana organized the games: trivia questions had us guessing about family members’ lives and events, and we mixed it up with trying to identify the person whose name was taped to our backs.  Aunt Pearl had saved so many keepsakes: graduation announcements, wedding invitations, and photographs. Vern found a 1930 newspaper from Burt, Iowa, home of many Lovstads, which mentioned the deteriorating population of the KKK from 250,000 down to less than 100,000.  White elephant gifts were handed out, and throughout the weekend, our chronicler Milana captured each moment with her camera.  

As the weekend ended, we celebrated Cousin Vern’s birthday with slices of chocolate-mint cake and a chorus of Happy Birthday.  It took us hours to say goodbye, but isn’t that the typical Norwegian goodbye routine?   Happy memories of our reunion will stay with us. In two years we’ll gather again at Jim and Linda Lovestad’s home near Duluth.  811